After glancing at the nobles trembling like leaves, Naraku curled his lip, a hint of helplessness on his face.
He'd been too slow earlier—didn't manage to slaughter them all.
If Takeda Satoru had arrived a few seconds later, there would've been nothing left for him but corpses everywhere.
As things stood, there wasn't a better way to handle it. He might as well escort the whole lot to the Central Prison—perfect chance to let those newly "re-employed" Maggot's Nest people learn the workflow of the "Eight Great Hells."
He genuinely couldn't stand these nobles.
Their sin values were high, sure, but their strength was pitiful. Even if he suppressed them, the returns would be pathetic.
Just a bunch of beasts who did evil freely because they could hide behind their status.
"Lock them all in the Central Prison?" Shutara thought for a moment, then smiled.
"It's not impossible. But you'll need to pay close attention. I still have to keep refining the shihakushō and continue other research—I don't have time to watch what happens down below."
Naraku nodded.
Shutara had already helped him far too much. If he asked her to drop her research just to babysit the underground prison, that would be beyond inhuman.
Still…
Those outdated underground facilities were overdue for an overhaul.
Under Naraku's sheer intimidation, the nobles were furious but didn't dare speak.
The fate of Yokota Kōichi—who'd tried to throw his weight around—was fresh in their minds. They feared ending up the same.
As long as they were alive, there was still hope.
Their families wouldn't abandon them. All it would take was coordinated pressure on the Central 46, and getting out of the underground prison would be "just a formality."
After all, the Central 46 wasn't merely Soul Society's top judicial body.
In truth, it was the highest power of the nobility itself—
Forty-six clans standing above the law.
In the scorched wasteland and ruins, Lumina Griffith's massive corpse stood out.
Even though most of its blood had been nearly drained, its steel-hard hide and grotesque skeletal frame still held enormous value.
What Naraku was more curious about was the "lord" Griffith kept talking about. Someone above an Adjuchas, and able to inspire that level of fanatic loyalty…
At minimum, that had to be a Vasto Lorde.
If it really was a Vasto Lorde, who could it be?
Barragan Ruizenban—the true king of Hueco Mundo?
While Naraku was busy cleaning up, Shutara seemed to sense something. The moment her gaze dropped, her Reiatsu threaded into the thick pool of blood like silk.
Crack.
A crisp sound snapped inside the sticky blood—like crushing an insect.
At the same moment, somewhere hidden in Hueco Mundo, inside a pure white building—
A white-clad figure wearing custom glasses stared at the lens. The reflections on it played the ruin of the private manor over and over, finally freezing on that tall silhouette.
When the surveillance bug was crushed, the glasses themselves made a sharp crack and puffed out a thin trail of black smoke.
"Oh? Found that quickly, did you?"
"What sharp senses… Shutara Senjumaru, huh. I'll remember your name."
"And that kid Naraku Sora looks interesting too. To kill Lumina that easily—he must be a prodigy in Soul Society."
"Heh. I'll need more detailed intelligence."
...
...
"So I have every reason to suspect Takeda Satoru is a noble's dog—an extremely loyal one."
Inside Fifth Division's office, Naraku spoke with righteous certainty, like he'd just delivered an unarguable truth.
Aizen wore a thoughtful expression.
Ever since Naraku had thrown a group of nobles into the Central Prison a few days ago, Seireitei had erupted.
Countless nobles lodged protests to the Gotei 13 and the Central 46, demanding the release of their people.
Every day, stacks of related documents flooded every division.
In just a few days, Aizen had processed over a hundred such files—most of them viciously worded, practically foaming at the mouth to tear the "culprit" apart.
Aizen scoffed at it and didn't take it seriously at all.
A few pieces of paperwork were not enough to overturn the reality that those nobles had committed grave crimes. To attempt it was to treat the rules like a joke.
The Central 46 were hardly saints—but at least the surface-level order still had to be maintained.
If they openly released nobles who'd collaborated with a Menos, it would trigger even greater chaos.
Some members of the Gotei 13—who existed to uphold order—might even defect to the rebel Shinigami side.
If it ever got that bad, the ones who would truly suffer headaches would be the high-and-mighty Central 46.
After quickly sorting through Naraku's intel, Aizen nodded.
"Judging by his behavior and attitude, Takeda Satoru is definitely aligned with the nobles. We don't know which family he serves, but we can be sure—"
"The sacrifices absolutely involve him."
"Or rather, Takeda played a very significant role in it."
Naraku raised an eyebrow, waiting for more.
"The Yokota family is only a lower noble house, and Yokota Kōichi was an utterly ordinary member—he wasn't even an elder."
"Someone that insignificant isn't worth offending you over."
"Especially after Takeda knew who you were."
Even leaving aside Naraku's Genryū student status, just being the Shihōin clan's son-in-law already placed him far above some lower noble nobody.
And yet Takeda still chose to move against him—and even went as far as using Bankai to capture him.
So either the man had a broken brain…
Or he had something to hide.
Even Naraku could see that much.
"Next, we need to figure out how many others in the Gotei 13 are like Takeda. Distinguishing friend from foe will be necessary for what comes after."
Naraku blinked, startled. "What comes after…? What plan?"
Aizen: "?"
You've already stuffed a bunch of nobles into the Central Prison. Wasn't this about overturning the rotten system and reforming Soul Society?
Suppressing the urge to rub his temples, Aizen patiently laid out the current situation again.
Given Naraku's way of doing things, he would eventually draw a clear line between himself and certain nobles and become their enemy. What had happened so far simply accelerated that timeline.
Besides—
Naraku despised the nobles' crimes, and Aizen was dissatisfied with Soul Society's growing rot and darkness.
In a sense, their aims aligned.
"I honestly didn't think that far," Naraku said, folding his hands behind his head, tone strangely calm.
"Building a perfect system and all that is too abstract. I just can't stand what they do."
"People sacrificing lives for personal gain. Incompetent fools sitting high on thrones. Idiots acting righteous while doing whatever they please…"
"Call it justice if you want. I'd rather say I just can't stand those people and those things."
"If you really want to know what I'd do… I guess I'd just kill every bastard I can't stand."
Aizen froze.
After a brief silence, the corner of his mouth lifted—so slightly it was almost invisible.
~~~
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